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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Months ago, Kentucky Equality Federation began an extensive search for the owner of the Billboard on Lexington's New Circle Road.

Kentucky Equality Federation founder and Board member Jordan Palmer contacted Viacom Outdoor as well as Bluegrass Community and Technical College. Kentucky Equality Federation Chairman of the Board Brandon Combs contacted the Fayette County PVA, the Kentucky Department of Revenue and other agencies to find the owner.

Initially, tax records revealed nothing, but the owner was found. They ordered the removal of the Billboard with an apology:

Kentucky Equality Federation:

Ms. Mcdowell-
I'm am reaching out to you on behalf of the Kentucky Equality Federation Board of Directors. I was direct to you by Ms. Jo Southworth with RJ Corman.

There is a billboard that, according to Ms. Southworth, CSX owns in Lexington Kentucky. It is off of New Circle Road, near Opportunity Way. It is leased, by you, to Kentucky Outdoor Advertising, Inc. out of Bowling Green, KY.

Essentially, I want this billboard's current advertisement removed. It states: "Homosexuality is an abomination [and] Abortion is murder" with Biblical references under each statement.

According to CSX's own webpage, they are committed to non-discrimination against both gender and sexual orientation.

Attached are some pictures so you can locate the information and agreements you need, of the advertisement, etc. Please contact me at the below listed cell phone. I would like to discuss this matter as soon as possible.

Dear Mr. Combs,
This has reference to your email of July 24, 2012 to Ms. Ana McDowell on behalf of the Kentucky Equality Federation Board of Directors regarding a billboard located on CSX Transportation, Inc. property in Lexington, Kentucky.

CSX is very proud of its reputation and takes matters such as this serious. CBS Outdoor Systems, Inc., a third party, manages signboards for CSX across our system and under our agreement with them, they are to remove any offensive advertisements within thirty (30) days of being notified. CBS contacted the signboard owner immediately, who in turn has now removed the advertisement.

We apologize for the offensive message and certainly appreciate it being brought to our attention.

--> Posted by a volunteer Community Blogger of Kentucky Equality Federation. This is the official blog of Kentucky Equality Federation. Posts contained in this blog may not be the official position of Kentucky Equality Federation, its volunteer officers, directors, management, supported organizations, allies or coalitions, but rather the personal opinions or views of the volunteer Community Bloggers. The opinions or views expressed in the blog are protected by Section 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as non-slanderous free speech; blogs are personal views or opinions and not journalistic news sites.

A post Thursday on the official Chick-Fil-A Facebook page said, 'Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.'

The official statement follows backlash from president Dan Cathy’s admission that the company is “guilty as charged” when it comes to opposing gay marriage.

Dan Cathy oversees one of the country's most successful businesses. As
president and chief operating officer of Chick-fil-A, Cathy leads a
business with 1,608 restaurants that had sales of more than $4 billion
dollars last year. They sell chicken and train employees to focus on
values rooted in the Bible.

In an interview with the Baptist Press this week, Cathy said Chick-Fil-A is “very much supportive of the family - the biblical definition of the family unit.”

To that end, the company has donated millions of dollars to organizations such as Focus on the Family and the Marriage & Family Foundation, which fight against gay marriage.

"We don't claim to be a Christian business," Cathy said in a recent
visit to the State of North Carolina. He attended a business leadership conference
many years ago where he heard Christian businessman Fred Roach say,
"There is no such thing as a Christian business."

"That got my attention," Cathy said. Roach went on to say, "Christ never died for a corporation. He died for you and me."

"All throughout the New Testament there is an evangelism strategy
related to our performance in the workplace. ... Our work should be an
act of worship. Our work should be our mission field. As long as we are
stateside, let's don't think we have to go on mission trips by getting a
passport. ... If you're obedient to God you are going to be
evangelistic in the quality of the work you do, using that as a portal
to share [Christ]," he said.

When asked if Chick-fil-A's success
is attributed to biblical values, Cathy quickly said, "I think they're
inseparable. God wants to give us wisdom to make good decisions and
choices." Quoting James 1:5, he spoke of how often he asks God for
wisdom.

"Frequently Jesus challenged us to just ask ... we're
simply not asking as often as we should. We need to be more faithful to
depend on a God who does love us and wants to have a relationship with
us, and wants to give us the desires of our hearts."

When questioned about Chick-Fil-A's "Closed on Sunday" policy Cathy
responded, "It was not an issue in 1946 when we opened up our first
restaurant. But as living standards changed and lifestyles changed,
people came to be more active on Sundays."

The policy has not changed over the years as malls began changing their policies by opening on Sundays.

"We've
always put in our lease that we will be closed on Sundays," Cathy said.
"We've had a track record that we were generating more business in six
days than the other tenants were generating in seven [days]."

"While
developers had no identity whatsoever with our corporate purpose to
'glorify God and be a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us
and have a positive influence on all that come in contact with
Chick-fil-A,' they did identify with the rent checks that we wrote to
the mall, that were based on our sales.

Facebook Post:

The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect – regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. We will continue this tradition in the over 1,600 Restaurants run by independent Owner/Operators. Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.

Chick-fil-A is a family-owned and family-led company serving the communities in which it operates. From the day Truett Cathy started the company, he began applying biblically-based principles to managing his business. For example, we believe that closing on Sundays, operating debt-free and devoting a percentage of our profits back to our communities are what make us a stronger company and Chick-fil-A family.

Our mission is simple: to serve great food, provide genuine hospitality and have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.

--> Posted by a volunteer Community Blogger of Kentucky Equality Federation. This is the official blog of Kentucky Equality Federation. Posts contained in this blog may not be the official position of Kentucky Equality Federation, its volunteer officers, directors, management, supported organizations, allies or coalitions, but rather the personal opinions or views of the volunteer Community Bloggers. The opinions or views expressed in the blog are protected by Section 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as non-slanderous free speech; blogs are personal views or opinions and not journalistic news sites.

The Washington Times published the following today, at first glance the article appears to be prejudice until you realize they are only giving statistical facts and urging additional education, testing, and treatment for the Black community. The items in block-quotes are additions and did not appear in The Washington Times article:

Black men who are gay or bisexual are "at the center" of the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic and should be a primary focus of testing, service and treatment efforts, a federal official and advocates said Wednesday.

2006 Kentucky Report - Aids in Kentucky:
- 47% of HIV positive people are not aware of their status and continue to have multiple sexual partners.
- Nearly 85% of all AIDS cases in the commonwealth are within the Bluegrass Region including Covington, Frankfort, Florence, Georgetown, Lexington, Louisville, Richmond, and Winchester.

Black men who have sex with men (MSM) account for one in four new HIV infections, even though they represent only one in 500 Americans, the Black AIDS Institute said in its new report, "Back of the Line: The State of AIDS Among Black Gay Men in America 2012."

This infection rate climbs quickly with age for these men: The odds of a black MSM becoming infected with HIV is about 8 percent at age 20 and nearly 60 percent by age 40.

Moreover, unless they receive treatment, black MSM "are significantly less likely to be alive three years after testing HIV-positive," when compared to white MSM, said the report.

Black MSM “continue to be first in line when it comes to need, but remain at the back of the line when it comes to assistance," said Phill Wilson, founder and executive director of the Black AIDS Institute.

“We need a new mindset,” Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a media briefing at the Kaiser Family Foundation in the District.
Black MSM “are not simply a fringe group in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Dr. Fenton. “They are, in fact, at the center of the nation’s epidemic, and we cannot achieve an AIDS-free generation, or the end of AIDS in the United States, unless we make major inroads in the fight against HIV among black gay men.”
Panelists talked about stigma, homophobia and other heightened risk factors for black MSM.

Research indicates that black MSM “are no more likely to engage in HIV-related risk behaviors than other MSM,” said Ernest Hopkins, chairman of the National Black Gay Men’s Advocacy Coalition and director of legislative affairs at the San Franciso AIDS Foundation.

But they are associated with risk factors such as early sexual experience, having older sex partners, being molested as a child, being incarcerated, growing up in poverty, homelessness and suffering discrimination, said Mr. Hopkins.

--> Posted by a volunteer Community Blogger of Kentucky Equality Federation. This is the official blog of Kentucky Equality Federation. Posts contained in this blog may not be the official position of Kentucky Equality Federation, its volunteer officers, directors, management, supported organizations, allies or coalitions, but rather the personal opinions or views of the volunteer Community Bloggers. The opinions or views expressed in the blog are protected by Section 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as non-slanderous free speech; blogs are personal views or opinions and not journalistic news sites.

This is the official blog of Kentucky Equality Federation. Posts contained in this blog may not be the official position of Kentucky Equality Federation, its volunteer officers, directors, management, supported organizations, allies or coalitions, but rather the personal opinions or views of the volunteer Community Bloggers. The opinions or views expressed in the blog are protected by Section 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as non-slanderous free speech; blogs are personal views or opinions and not journalistic news sites.

"Many people and groups are victims of discrimination. Some are discriminated against because of their sexual orientation, sexual identity, race, gender, veteran status, or political identification (or lack thereof). Discrimination takes many forms, and it is necessary that the victims of such treatment strive for a better world where all groups, orientations, identities, creeds, and political groups can achieve equality." - Josh Koch, Vice President of Policy and Public Relations.

This is the official blog of Kentucky Equality Federation. Posts contained in this blog may not be the official position of Kentucky Equality Federation, its volunteer officers, directors, management, supported organizations, allies or coalitions, but rather the personal opinions or views of the volunteer Community Bloggers. The opinions or views expressed in the blog are protected by Section 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as non-slanderous free speech; blogs are personal views or opinions and not journalistic news sites.